Speaking of warm fall beverages...The fall chill is in the air and its time for something warm and spicy. Everyone has a version of chai tea that they love. Here at our house I began making this tea years ago as a way of satisfying my children's craving for a hot and sweet drink on a fall or winter morning. The great thing about making this tea is that you can vary the spices according to taste and availability. If you can't find fresh turmeric, use the widely available powdered form. I routinely get my whole fresh turmeric from Whole Foods in Santa Rosa. However, I have started seeing it more often in many local grocery stores and farmers markets. Fresh turmeric has a pleasant mild ginger-like flavor.
Honestly, I did not intentionally create this "chai" recipe. It sorta created itself. I tend to use whatever I have on hand in the kitchen. How can you go wrong with cinnamon or ginger? Throw in some turmeric and cardamom and now you have something special. The green tea is a nice variation on the more traditional strong caffeine-laden dark tea used in many recipes. This tea is a great evening beverage that won't keep you up all night. Be sure to let me know what variations you discover along the way. Enjoy!
Chai Spiced Turmeric Tea
Fill a 4 qt saucepan with clean filtered water (Be sure to leave room to add your ingredients). Place over medium heat and add the following:
Bring to a gentle simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, remove from the heat then add:
Let the whole things steep for 5 to 10 minutes or so. Then strain some of the tea into your favorite mug.
Notes:
The quantities stated above are merely a guideline. The turmeric and ginger can be sliced with a vegetable peeler, smashed in a mortar and pestle, sliced, chopped, etc. Just remember that "all" spices tend to intensify in strength the finer you break them down. Feel free to tweak it to your own tastes. I think this tea tastes best with organic half and half or whole milk added.
Honestly, I did not intentionally create this "chai" recipe. It sorta created itself. I tend to use whatever I have on hand in the kitchen. How can you go wrong with cinnamon or ginger? Throw in some turmeric and cardamom and now you have something special. The green tea is a nice variation on the more traditional strong caffeine-laden dark tea used in many recipes. This tea is a great evening beverage that won't keep you up all night. Be sure to let me know what variations you discover along the way. Enjoy!
Chai Spiced Turmeric Tea
Fill a 4 qt saucepan with clean filtered water (Be sure to leave room to add your ingredients). Place over medium heat and add the following:
- 1 piece of turmeric (3 to 4 inches long) *
- 1 piece of ginger (3 to 4 inches long) *
- 1 whole star anise
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 5 to 10 cardamom pods (crushed)
- citrus zest (1 organic lemon/orange)
Bring to a gentle simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, remove from the heat then add:
- 2 green tea bags
Let the whole things steep for 5 to 10 minutes or so. Then strain some of the tea into your favorite mug.
- Add your favorite sweetener and creamer to taste and you are all set!
Notes:
The quantities stated above are merely a guideline. The turmeric and ginger can be sliced with a vegetable peeler, smashed in a mortar and pestle, sliced, chopped, etc. Just remember that "all" spices tend to intensify in strength the finer you break them down. Feel free to tweak it to your own tastes. I think this tea tastes best with organic half and half or whole milk added.
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